Moondancer
by fbeauchamphartz
Summary: Sebastian is a powerful werewolf, searching for his mate. In order to find the mate he wants, he has to seek out the aid of lowest vermin in their world - wolf trappers, men who make a living from hunting, capturing, and in some cases, killing ones of his kind. On the night of a silver moon, Sebastian comes across a boy who might be just what he's looking for? Kurt H. Sebastian S.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Okay, I wrote this one-shot as one of five presents for the amazing freakingpotter on tumblr…pretty much just because I wanted to. __Warning for angst, caging, slight implied D/s elements. Enjoy!_

The first thing that hits Sebastian when the guard opens the double-doors to the pens is the smell. The stench of unbathed - and in some cases disease ridden - wolf is overwhelming. It would be awful for weak, human noses, but for one such as him, with a heightened sensitivity to smell, the stink of his kind in these cramped, hot quarters, and filthy conditions is a level of disgusting unknown to most – human and wolf alike.

Sebastian loathes the pens.

Sebastian is no humanitarian. The fact that the cages are often too small for their occupants doesn't concern him. He couldn't care less that there are a multitude of wolves here riddled with mange, mites, and a slew of other untreated infections. The possibility that many of these captured beasts have not been fed for days - especially now, during the change, when they would need nourishment the most - and might not last the night means nothing to him.

Unless he happens to find the one he wants among this mongrel lot – the one wolf he longs for, the one he needs. Then he will raise holy hell.

Sebastian hates that he has to try and hunt down a mate this way, but he has no other choice. He's not looking for just _any_ wolf. He's looking for someone like him. Someone with power.

A wolf like that will not likely be found merely walking the streets. They will undoubtedly be an outcast, even among members of their own family. They will take to the woods, become wild, scarcely making their way, lying low, afraid for themselves.

Afraid _of_ themselves.

No, the best chance Sebastian has is to go to the trappers – grotesque bottom-feeders that they are, making money off his kind, alive or dead.

Turning over a single cent to them will be like slitting his own wrists.

Sebastian walks down the narrow aisle if cages, each filled to bursting with a wolf baying at him for help, begging to be freed. There's a degree to which it tugs at his heart, but he does nothing. He can't risk exposing himself for what he is, and besides, if these simple creatures are stupid and careless enough to get caught, then they deserve what they get.

Sebastian has convinced himself of this. It's the only way he can see his kind treated this way, leave them, and still sleep at night.

Fifteen different times he's been here already, listening to pitiful creatures rattling their cages, and he has never even come close to finding the one he needs. But tonight will be the night. He feels it in his bones. Outside above them where they cannot see shines the face of a silver moon.

A _power_ moon.

A moon that calls to him with all its might to unleash his wolf, and with everything the wolf inside him is, it pleads with Sebastian to answer that call, but he can't. Not yet. Not when he's so close that the blood in his veins vibrates, his dual hearts stuttering in his chest.

As he closes in on the end of the row of cages, he feels a pull that is stronger than that of the moon.

And like the providence that he knew the silver moon would be for him, Sebastian finds him.

He finds the one.

"Now, who is this?" Sebastian asks, his hearts jumping in his chest.

Sebastian is playing the fool. He knows exactly who it is.

The occupant of this last cage is soon-to-be Sebastian's new mate.

He appears to be not a wolf, but a man – no more than a boy, really – naked, lying on the floor of his cage, legs bent at the knees, forced that way by the tight confines, glassy blue eyes staring blankly at a spot above their heads.

"We're not entirely sure," the ignorant trapper answers, scratching the back of his filthy neck with his equally filthy hand. "The man what brought him in says he's a wolf, but we've had him two lunar cycles and we've seen absolutely no change."

"So, why keep him?" Sebastian asks, kneeling low to try and catch the boy's eyes, to call his bluff if he can.

"Because the other wolves react to him," the guard says. "If he's not a wolf, then he's a _something_ at least."

Sebastian looks into the boy's solemn, expressionless face. He focuses on the boy's eyes, trying to touch his mind and force him to react, but there are walls blocking him – powerful walls protecting this boy's wolf.

Walls that will take Sebastian time and patience to break down.

The boy looks calm by all outward respects, but Sebastian can see the toll that resisting the moon has taken - his lip curls a bit, quivering with restraint, the muscles beneath the skin of his cheeks twitching as he continually subdues his wolf, his neck straining, pulse visibly thrumming through his skin.

Just like Sebastian, he is biding, but he won't be able to maintain for much longer - not locked in here.

"This is the one," Sebastian says with a wide, toothy grin, not even turning around to acknowledge the guard behind him. "This is the one I want."

"Are you sure?" the burly guard asks, squinting at the boy. "I mean, we're not exactly sure what he is yet so we can't guarantee…"

"I don't care what he is," Sebastian snaps, losing patience, his wolf eager to be out of the pens and home with his mate. "Just draw up the bill of sale. I'm taking him home _now_."

"Uh…alright," the guard grumbles. Confused by Sebastian's outburst, his sudden change in mood, the man shrugs and turns, heading out of the pens the way they came. "It's your money. If you want to waste it…"

But Sebastian stops paying attention the moment he makes his demand. He moves closer to the boy in the cage. He can see him better at this range, bowing low. Even stuck in this grim place, he has perfect pale, almost white skin, marked here and there faintly, no doubt from the trappers attempts at forcing him to change – an infraction that Sebastian will ensure someone gets whipped for, severely, if possible. His bluish-silver eyes look past Sebastian, but Sebastian can see their intelligence. The boy is aware…and he's listening to every word spoken.

"So, my pet," Sebastian whispers, "this is how you survive – you lay still until the world gives up on you and leaves you alone." Sebastian chuckles at the genius of this wolf, and at the stupidity of those who cannot recognize the wonder he truly is. "But I know who you are. You're like me. You know how to dance around the moon's power. You have the ability to resist the change. You have other abilities as well, so I can assure you that _I_ will never tire of you." Sebastian's smile becomes a grin of pure dominance, his wolf longing to have his way with the beautiful wolf hiding inside this boy's mind. "You don't need to move a muscle or say a word for what I have planned."

Only then does Sebastian see a hint of change. The boy's human eyes shift for a second, the wolf within him rising up to protect the boy. The boy shivers and the wolf disappears, but Sebastian's wolf got his taste of him – and he's chomping at the bit for more.

Sebastian chuckles at the wolf's show of defiance.

He can't wait to get the boy home and see if he can make his wolf do that again.

The sound of jingling keys coming their way from the double-doors makes Sebastian's sly grin grow impossibly wider.

"Now, now, little Moondancer, don't you worry," he says, sotto voce so only the boy and his wolf can hear. "I'm going to collar you and take you home…then I can teach you how to be a good little mate."


	2. Chapter 2

The guard carrying the keys shuffles toward Sebastian, limping, winded by his minor jaunt, and Sebastian couldn't be more disgusted if he tried.

"So…you're sure…you want…this one?" the man pants, resting a hand against the corner edge of the cage, bending over at the waist to catch his breath.

Sebastian groans, frustration building within him, within his wolf. The animal is pawing at the soft folds of Sebastian's psyche to take control, scratching beneath his skin to break free. Sebastian wants out. His wolf wants out. Even without a cage, he feels trapped in here, in the heat, in the stench, in the dim light, away from the sweet night air, the soothing silver moonlight, and freedom, the need to hunt, to run, unbearable.

This boy that he's found, his one true mate, lying still on the floor of his cage, may be a stronger wolf than Sebastian, stronger than any he's ever known if he can bide in these conditions for this long.

"Just get the cage out to my vehicle and charge my fucking card," Sebastian grinds through teeth preparing to transform, holding his wolf back when what it wants is to spring free, rip this man's trachea out, and carry his new mate away to his den.

"Alright, alright," the guard grumbles. "No need to get grumpy." The hefty man starts unlocking the chains that keep this cage tethered to the rest. "But just so you know, there's no returns, no exchanges. You bought him, you keep him. He runs off, or he kills you…well, that's none of our concern."

"Got it," Sebastian growls, giving the guard pause, the hairs at the nape of the man's neck, usually numb to the hostile sounds of the wolves, shooting on end. "Now _give him to me_!"

"Belay that." Another voice cuts through the din of whines, howls, and rattling cages. Sebastian's head snaps up, his eyes an inch away from shifting, and sees another guard, a much more fit and commanding guard, hurrying their way. He stops between the two men, smiling wickedly as he directs his attention to Sebastian, more than pleased to relay his message. "Hunter wants to see him."

* * *

If there is anywhere in this Godforsaken place Sebastian hates more than the pens, it's the offices above, where the real filth can be found. The pens might stink of illness and decay, but the offices reek of corruption. These wolf hunters operate in a carefully orchestrated grey area alongside the law. They peddle life to the rich and the perverse, and know the ins and outs of the regulations where they operate so well that they often exist with the backing of local government.

And in a profession filled with loathsome, despicable human beings, the foulest of the foul, Hunter Clarington is the absolute worst. Cruel, cold, he intimidates most people with little more than a look. Where other hunters are prone to inspections and delays, necessitating the need for "donations" to move the red tape along, there isn't anywhere Hunter goes that he doesn't usually get whatever he wants.

Sebastian, however, isn't most people. To him, Hunter is just another bottom-feeder, and he has something Sebastian wants.

"What the fuck is it, Hunter?" Sebastian roars, barging through his office door. The man himself sits behind his desk, not flinching an inch when the door rebounds off the wall with a harsh _bang_. "There's no way my credit check didn't come up clean."

"I'm sorry," Hunter says, his upper lip curling in an amused snarl. "There's been a mistake."

Sebastian slams a hand down on the desk, bending over low to talk into Hunter's face. He's had enough. He has to get out of here with his mate before he does some damage.

"What _kind_ of a mistake?"

Hunter sighs, looking from Sebastian's hand planted on his desk, splintering the wood, to his simmering green eyes.

"You can't have him," Hunter says coolly, ignoring Sebastian's outburst, even though the display of strength that went with it is…interesting. "That boy was never meant to be put out in general population."

"Well, that _is_ a shame," Sebastian says, straightening, eyes flicking with slight dismay to the new dent in Hunter's desk, "for _you_. Any animal out on the floor is fair game, bar none. Those are the rules. That's part of the loophole, more for your benefit than for ours. That's why filth like you can operate within the county line."

Hunter stares Sebastian down with a peculiar smile twitching his lips, wavering somewhere between mocking and condescending. Hunter points at Sebastian, his smile becoming forced, taking over his face, but coming nowhere near his eyes. They stay dark, overwhelmed by his pupils, flat and black, emotionless like a shark's.

"You are really bad at this negotiating stuff," Hunter says with a disingenuous laugh. "I mean, you _want_ something from me, and yet here you are _insulting_ me. How in the world do you make any money doing _whatever_ it is you do with an attitude like that?"

"How I make my money is none of your concern," Sebastian snaps. Hunter's wanted the inside scoop on Sebastian's finances since he started coming to the pens, looking for a mate. "Nor what I do with it. And that boy in your maggot-ridden holding cell is no longer your concern, either. I chose him with the intention of purchasing him. I voiced that intention. The law states that as long as I'm cleared, he already belongs to me."

Hunter's forced smile drops from his face. He stands from his seat to confront Sebastian, quietly furious at Sebastian for assuming to usurp his authority.

"He belongs to you when I say he belongs to you," Hunter says, low and menacing, "and I don't think I want to sell him to you."

"And why not, _Hunter_?" Sebastian asks.

"You come here every full moon, you pick through my pens, you leave here empty handed. Now you've found what you want, and he's, by all outward appearances, not even a wolf. So why him? Why now?" Hunter's eyes stay locked on Sebastian's, waiting, and for a second, Sebastian thinks the man might know, that he might have figured him out. But there's a vexation on Hunter's face, lingering behind his eyes, at the corner of his ever-twitching lips. Hunter's desperate to know Sebastian's secrets, and Sebastian knows he's in the clear – for now.

Hunter's good at this game, but not _that_ good.

"You know something about him," Hunter says. "Something I've been trying to uncover for weeks, and I want to know what it is."

"I know people," Sebastian says, his tone so much a threat as to be unmistakable. "I can make sure you never peddle your wares in this county again. I can keep you miles away from here. I know that people jump when you snap your fingers, but I assure you, they jump higher for me."

"Yes, I know they do," Hunter agrees with something up his sleeve, sly and cunning like a fox, "but the moment you walk out my doors, I'll have everything packed up. In an hour, I'll be gone, and you'll never see your _special snowflake_ again."

Sebastian pinches his lips together and thinks before he speaks, weighing this threat with his own, calculating quickly who would come out on top. It doesn't matter that, by all accounts, the winning hand is his. He doesn't want to take the chance that Hunter wouldn't worry about the other wolves. They'd only focus on his, turn loose the rest as a distraction, and somehow get away.

"What do you want, Hunter?" Sebastian asks, the growl returning to his voice as his anxious wolf claws inside Sebastian's head, eager to be downstairs with his mate, to see him safe and sound.

Hunter shrugs, playing like he's caught between a rock and a hard place, opening his hands wide as if begging for compromise.

"The least you can do is say please," Hunter says. "Come on, Sebastian. Let me hear you say it."

Sebastian glares, and Hunter's secondary façade of humor slips away.

"Say _please_, Sebastian," Hunter demands, "or you can say good-bye to your little boy."

Sebastian swallows hard, but he's not swallowing crow. He's swallowing down his wolf's hunger for blood. Specifically Hunter's blood, the blood of the man keeping him from what's his.

"_Please_."

Hunter holds Sebastian's glare, reveling in it, enjoying the tension growing between them. Sebastian can see Hunter on the brink of turning him down again, prolonging this game, but with his lips parted, the word _no_ hanging on them, he starts doing calculations of his own. A softer smile returns to his smug face, and he sits back down in his chair.

"You see? Now you're learning." Hunter raises a hand and waves, signaling one of his guards waiting outside the open door. "Keith, give this reasonable man his goods, and get him out of my pens."

Sebastian's pretty certain Hunter's waiting for some form of thank you, but if he opens his mouth to kowtow to this prick again, his wolf's going to have something to say about it. Sebastian turns, ready to follow the guard out, when Hunter calls him back.

"And Sebastian?"

"Yeah?" Sebastian grunts.

Hunter sits forward in his seat, his expression stern, hard, his smile doing nothing to mask his contempt. It turns into a grimace with every heartbeat that passes between them.

"Don't fucking come back."

Sebastian scoffs, satisfied with his victory over this vile man, even if it did cost him, and not the money. This half hour of his life that he won't get back, but time means little to him.

It's the secrets he might have unwittingly parted with in the process. His wolf has no talent for subtlety, especially on nights like this, and so close to the one thing he wants.

And Hunter is good at his trade, even if he is a sadistic asshole.

"Don't worry," Sebastian says. "I won't."

Sebastian stalks off with one guard trailing behind, but a second guard hanging around outside the door comes in with a copy of Sebastian's bill of sale for Hunter's review. He signs it without looking at it and thrusts it back at the guard.

"Why did you give in?" the guard asks, confused. He doesn't care one way or the other if they lose that freaky boy in the cage, but it would have been fun to see Hunter stick it to that douche with the snarky attitude and the disrespectful mouth.

"Because Sebastian's smart," Hunter says. "I can't move these pens until sun up. I'm bluffing and he knows it. He can bring all manner of shit storm down on this place, every authority from here to Timbuktu."

"But you have connections," the guard says, suddenly feeling a need to worry about the status of his paycheck. "If he puts you in a tough corner, you can wiggle out. You've done it before."

"Yeah, but that was small time compared to him," Hunter says with a modicum of respect for a superior predator. "If he calls down the heavy, my connections won't matter. He has pull I don't, and the money to have me injunctioned from every corner. He'll have me locked down so tight, I won't even be able to walk down the hall to take a shit."

"But he won't?" the guard asks in surprise. "If this man has the upper hand, why doesn't he just use it? He doesn't seem too fond of the pens or the hunters."

"No," Hunter says. "He's no activist, if that's what you're thinking. As long as he gets what he wants, he'll leave me be."

The guard nods. "That's good, right?"

"Yeah," Hunter agrees, "but something about him wanting that sickly kid so bad" – Hunter taps his chin with his index finger – "I don't know. It just doesn't smell straight to me." He breathes in deep, trying to capture something that the man left behind, something that will tell Hunter what his machinations are, what he's planning with that boy.

"What do you want us to do?" the guard asks. He sees a look in Hunter's eyes, one he's seen before. Hunter has machinations of his own. He may have had to turn over the boy, but he has no intention of letting this go.

"Follow him," Hunter says, eyes not leaving the doorway, as if he can see through to the insufferable man downstairs, ordering his guards around and taking his prize home. "I want to know where they go. I want to know what they do. I want to know why that boy's so special."


	3. Chapter 3

"Easy! Easy!" Sebastian yells. "Be careful with him! If I see a single scratch on his hide that wasn't there before, I'm coming back for your skins." He doesn't mention that he's going to have these men investigated anyway, to find out who exactly put those fading scars on his mate, trying to make him change into his wolf, but those aren't details anyone responsible for the safe relocation of his mate in his cage needs to know right now. Sebastian watches with hawkish eyes as Hunter's men load his mate's cage into the back of Sebastian's truck. He would have preferred to have the boy sit with him in the back seat, cradled in his arms, where his wolf could feel him against his skin and fill his nostrils with his scent, but the boy is too unpredictable. Sebastian doesn't know what's going on in his mind, or in the mind of his wolf - if he's waiting for an opportunity to attack, or an opening to make his escape. Personally, Sebastian would be doing both if he were in this boy's position. But the only one who would be able to wrangle him back underneath this powerful silver moon would be Sebastian's wolf, and Sebastian can't risk releasing him, not in front of Hunter's men.

If they had claimed each other, Sebastian and this boy, controlling him wouldn't be an issue, but Sebastian's certain his little mate won't accept a claim from him yet. Even a one-sided claim could be useful in keeping the boy under control, but that's not something Sebastian's willing to do _here_.

Plus, he's not going to force him. He has no desire to rape his mate.

There are several steps involved in claiming a mate. Bonding is one. That's where Sebastian has to start, what he hopes to achieve in the next few weeks – being around one another, gaining the boy's trust, gaining his wolf's trust, while teaching him what will be expected of him once he decides to be a good boy and come out of his self-induced vegetative state.

When the cage is safe in the bed of his vehicle, Sebastian climbs in the back and, with the help of his best friend Wes, secures it with ratchet straps to ensure it won't slide when they travel. He has no intention of taking the highway, or the city streets. Traveling out in the open where anyone can see them would be a foolish move on Sebastian's part, especially when he assumes Hunter's men might try to tail them.

Sebastian is far from stupid. He knows Hunter didn't want to let this boy go, not when Sebastian wanted him so badly. Hunter was right that Sebastian spent a lot of time in the pens, and not just Hunter's. Sebastian has been looking for a mate in pens all over the world. His name is almost as notorious in the underworld wolf trading market as Hunter's, and yet he bought nothing. Now he chooses to buy a boy with no discernible wolf traits or background that Hunter knows of. Hunter would be an imbecile, as well as a disgrace to his profession, if he didn't want to know why. He's most likely got a few men lying in wait to follow Sebastian's truck when he leaves, and Sebastian's ready.

There's a secluded road to his house that cuts through the forest. It spirals back around a few times through a confusing labyrinth of unmarked dirt paths before it reaches his compound, with the entrance carved out of solid rock and obscured by a stone façade gate, lined with steel. The rocky roads alone make it difficult for anyone driving anything other than an ATV to keep up with him, and the thick tree cover doesn't allow for airborne drones to track him. The only way someone might succeed in following him is on foot, but no human could ever run that fast. A wolf might, but there are no wolves searching for him, and even if there were, they'd have more to fear from Sebastian than he would from them.

Sebastian stays in the bed of the truck with his mate's cage while Wes drives, keeping the cage uncovered to let the moonlight shine through the bars, hoping that it will entice the boy to change. Sebastian hears the boy's wolf breath in deep and sigh sadly, but the boy doesn't move for the entire drive, and Sebastian, in spite of himself and his wolf's impatience, is impressed.

They pass through the stone gate. The grey cement tunnel to Sebastian's compound blocks out any view of the sky, and the boy's wolf sighs again, shutting himself down, and shutting Sebastian's wolf out.

_It's alright, boy._ Sebastian soothes his wolf when the beast whines_. It won't be forever. He can't stay locked in there forever._

Wes parks the truck around the back of Sebastian's house, where a sliding glass patio door leads straight into the kitchen. They unstrap the cage, slide it carefully out of the bed, and carry it through the door, past the kitchen, past the dining room, and into the living room. Sebastian is prepared, he has been for months, with layers of thick canvas tarps laid out to protect his tile floor from the metal cage. Wes helps maneuver the cage while Sebastian uses a drill to unfasten the screws, but only on one side, this way he'll still have the boy cornered in case he tries anything.

Wes doesn't say a word while Sebastian works. He doesn't think a thing, knowing Sebastian might sense his uneasiness, but there's a part of him that wishes Sebastian would wait till he's gone before he opens the cage. He's not sure about his friend's choice of mates. Besides the fact that the boy in the cage looks a little young for Sebastian and a lot malnourished, there's something about him that doesn't sit right with Wes, something about his calm, his quiet.

This boy is waiting. Wes doesn't know how, but he can feel it, just as he can feel that when this boy finally breaks out of his cocoon and shows Sebastian his true face, he's going to bring a shit storm of trouble with him.

Whether Sebastian knows this or not, for whatever reason, he leaves the unscrewed wall of the cage closed.

"Are you going to need any help with him, do you think?" Wes asks, regardless of his trepidation.

"I'm good," Sebastian says, patting his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I've got this covered."

"Alright." Wes takes Sebastian at his word, because what else can he do? Sebastian knows more about this stuff than Wes does. But as much as the boy in the cage unnerves Wes, everything in Sebastian's life usually seems to go his way. Wes can't really recall a single thing that Sebastian ever wanted that he didn't get, so he has to believe this will turn out well, too. "But call me if you need anything."

"Hey," Sebastian says, "if I need anything, I'm runnin' on over."

Wes chuckles, but it doesn't make him feel any better about leaving Sebastian alone.

"I'll talk at you tomorrow, man. Unless your boy wakes up. Then I guess I won't hear from you…"

"For about a week," Sebastian finishes. "Possibly the month." He winks, and Wes chuckles again. His best friend is insatiable, always has been, but in this case, there's more hope than crass in his suggestive tone. Sebastian has been searching the world for a mate. He's wanted one since college, someone like him, who would understand what it's like to be rare and endangered.

And the loneliness that goes with it.

Wes can only pray this boy is meant for him the way Sebastian wants him to be.

Sebastian waits for his friend to leave, driving off the compound in his 4Runner, before he returns to his mate. The boy hasn't moved, not even extending a leg to try and knock down the wall of the cage, and Sebastian has to wonder if this _isn't_ the elaborate defense mechanism he originally thought. Maybe the boy and his wolf have given up. Sebastian can't quite believe it, and his wolf, with the taste of this boy's protector fresh in his mind, refuses to accept it.

Sebastian sets up the living room to take care of the boy properly, laying down a bed of towels, and bringing out a bottle of his own body wash and a basin of water, warm and scented with lavender to bathe his mate with. The boy's skin is white, but above ground and out of the pens, with the pure silver light of the moon shining on him in all its glory, Sebastian can see a sheen of dirt, clumps of it in his hair. Sebastian can't imagine where the boy has been doing his business, if he has been at all. He's been catatonic for a while, and with no food or water. His wolf probably shut that part of his body down for his own comfort.

Sebastian pulls out the loosened section of the cage, carrying it off to one side and leaning it against a wall. Then he picks up the boy in his arms. Without the cage, the boy still weighs quite a bit. He seems to be slighted by starvation, so Sebastian imagines that must be muscle he's bowing under the weight of. He carries the boy out and lays him down on the towels. Sebastian looks at him, free from his cage, and waits to see if he'll make a move. But he doesn't, and Sebastian uses this time to examine him. He tries to picture the wolf within him, itching to be let out the way his own wolf is itching to have him. Sebastian sees him a lot like himself, only a bit smaller, with silky fur that absorbs the moonlight and shimmers like stars on the surface of the water. He's a magnificent looking human, even curled in on himself like this; he must make a phenomenal wolf.

Sebastian crouches beside him. He puts a hand on the boy, gently on his shoulder, and feels the boy withdraw. Without moving a muscle, he retreats into his own body, and his wolf climbs a bit closer to the surface. He doesn't make a move to change, he's just there, pacing, guarding his other half while Sebastian's hand continues to touch, to stroke down the boy's naked back to his behind. This boy's body is strong, Sebastian can feel it, layers of defined muscles below his skin from running, from hunting, from hiding. Sebastian's wolf salivates at the thought of getting to the wolf beyond his grasp, but Sebastian fights him down.

"Now, now," Sebastian tuts, "don't worry. You'll get your chance. Back away. We need him to trust us, or you'll never have him."

Sebastian hears the boy's wolf huff, and he smiles.

"Such a defiant creature," he coos. "Such a beautiful, stubborn, strong-willed mate I have."

The wolf huffs again, and Sebastian reacts, swatting the boy on the rear. He thinks he hears the boy squeak, sees him flinch a little around the eyes and mouth, but he remains motionless otherwise.

"So, you didn't like that, Moondancer?" he asks, massaging the boy's warmed cheek with his palm. "Or did you?"

With a smirk, longing to ferret his mate out, he pulls back his hand and strikes the boy a second time on his bottom. His wolf whines, but the boy's breath catches, and something else happens.

Lying dormant between his powerful legs, the boy's cock twitches.

"Nice," Sebastian says. "So my new mate enjoys a spanking? That's good to know."

Sebastian starts washing the boy, with a hand towel and the warm water. He works the body wash into the boy's hair, dissolving away the clumps of dirt, and bringing out its natural color – more of a chestnut shade than the plain, flat brown it was. Inside his mind, Sebastian hears a flurry of voices and whimpers not meant for him. The two sounds meld so seamlessly in tone and pitch that Sebastian has a hard time distinguishing one from the other, but he knows for certain who it is.

The boy, locked inside the body, comforting his wolf.

Sebastian sits perfectly still and listens as snippets pass through his head.

"…it's okay…will be fine…not to worry…"

"You _are_ going to be fine," Sebastian says, returning to bathing his mate, "because I'm going to take care of you. But you need to give me something to work with. Like maybe…a name?"

The boy's wolf turns on him and growls protectively.

_Never_.

Sebastian chuckles.

"Never say never, little one."

_We don't belong to you_, the wolf declares. _We never will_.

"That's so cute that you think you have a say," Sebastian says, the thrill of bickering with his mate speeding his heart. He's gotten the boy's wolf to communicate with him. It may hate him, but it's a start. "I have a bill of sale that says you belong to me. Ergo, you belong to me. Correction, you belong _with_ me, for we are the same, little one, you and I. So we'd best stick together." Sebastian tosses the wet washcloth into the basin of water, muddy with dirt and dust from the boy's body, and starts patting him with a dry towel. "You know, you're missing out on a perfect power moon by being obstinate."

The wolf whimpers, and Sebastian knows that he's considered that. The wolf knows what he's missing out on by staying trapped inside the boy's body, by not convincing the boy to come to and talk to him. But the wolf will not be swayed.

_We'll do as we please, _he snaps.

"Well, seeing as we only have a few more hours till sunrise, I'm going to take advantage and go for a hunt." Sebastian stands and begins to unbutton his shirt, staring into the boy's blank eyes as he strips naked in front of him, hoping to tempt him and his wolf in this way. "You can come with me for a run and feel the wind in your fur…"

The boy's wolf grunts weakly in disgust, and Sebastian shrugs.

"Or stay here, my stubborn mate. There's no way for you off the property. It's completely wolf-proof, even for one of your immense power."

_Humph! How do you know?_

"Because," Sebastian says, dropping his shirt to the ground and starting on his pants, "I tested it on myself, and I dare say, my power equals yours."

Sebastian's pants fall to the floor, then his boxer briefs. He stands naked in front of his mate, raising his arms over his head, lengthening his spine, feeling his wolf come more alive. Sebastian nonchalantly walks away, waiting for any sign that the boy or his wolf will come with him. He rounds the corner, out of sight, and waits, scenting the air with his desire for his mate, to lure him out from hiding. But it doesn't happen. Sebastian would have liked it to, but he didn't expect it. But he does need to stretch his legs, so he walks out the sliding glass door into the night and lets his wolf take over.

Lying on the towels and the tarps in the living room, the boy and his wolf wait. They're used to waiting, and an hour, two hours, is nothing compared to the waiting they've already done. The boy's wolf sniffs, trying to sense where Sebastian might be, but he smells nothing other than the man's territorial markings, made a while ago, and he hears nothing. Sebastian's gone hunting, off somewhere far.

This is his chance.

The boy barely moves as his body changes, transforms into the form of his wolf, silver-white fur rippling down the length of his body, absorbing the wedge of moonlight shining in the dark room.

_Are you alright with this decision?_ the wolf asks the boy.

_I am,_ the boy responds. _And you? I know how much you longed for a mate._

The wolf sighs. _I know. But I need to make sure that you're safe. My responsibility is to you. If I find a mate, then we find him together, and he will be a wolf and a man who will love us both. I will not have you be a possession, and nor will I._

_And I have a responsibility to you as well, _the boy says. _I want to see you happy. That wolf, he can make you happy. I feel it._

_I appreciate that, but it's both of us together, or none at all. _The wolf thinks about the boy's words, and decides he needs to ask. _But, do you think you could fall in love with that human? I mean, he's handsome as human's go, is he not?_

The boy inside the wolf's body smiles.

_I guess, _he says. _But…I don't know. _

_He saved us._

_Yes, _the boy agrees. _He's rude, pretentious, and self-centered, but he saved us. I think he'd take care of us._

_The decision is yours, my friend, _the wolf says_. I will do as you choose._

The boy thinks it over. He has much to be grateful to this man for, on behalf of him and his wolf. And this man seems to know about them, about the power they possess – a power that keeps him from his family, and school, and the life that he loved. A power given to him by his mother, who passed and left him years ago. Maybe this man can help him unlock it, but at what price? He seems to expect something in return – something the boy isn't ready to give. The boy could do it to see his wolf happy, especially since his wolf has protected him for so long. But he can't come to a decision here, not with the smells in this place assailing his nose with messages that send his olfactory nerves into high alert.

_I think…I would be able to think better outside, _the boy decides_. Something about this place…it feels like a cage, too._

_I understand, _the wolf concurs_. Let's go. _

_If we change our minds, I'm sure we can return, _the boy reasons_._

_Yes, but he'd give you another spanking for running away, _the wolf teases.

_Can we not talk about that, please?_

The boy can deny his feelings to himself, but he can't hide his feelings from his wolf. He's not sure he could fall in love with this man, but his touch does excite him. Still, he can't overlook the fact that this man bought him – paid the trappers who kidnapped him and tormented him so that he could own him, like a pet or a trophy. He doesn't want to be owned. He doesn't want to be used, and his wolf agrees. If that is their only option, then he doesn't want to be this wolf's mate.

He wants him and his boy to be free to decide, and fall in love in their own time.

He wants his boy to have the choice to whom he parts with his virtue.

The wolf stands, but not right away. He rises to his feet in stages, his haunches swaying as his back paws fight for purchase on the towels. He lurches forward, clumsily propelling himself to his front feet. The wolf stumbles left and right, trying to stand still for a moment, to feel the ground beneath him, adjust to his head being raised to this height, and become accustomed to the hundreds of smells bearing down on him – markings and perfumes and artificial, honing in on the scent of nature, and freedom, somewhere beyond.

_Are you ready?_ the wolf asks. The boy is even more unsteady than his wolf. His lack of energy causes the wolf's knees to wobble, unwilling to work after being locked in one position for so long, and his stomach, empty as a drum, rebels. A swoop of nausea almost knocks him back to the floor, but the boy recognizes that time is running short. They can't tell from here exactly where Sebastian is, and they don't know when he'll be returning.

_I'm ready, _the boy assures his wolf. _Let's go._

He pads onto the living room floor, flinching when his nails scrape the smooth tile, the sound echoing throughout the room as if he were wearing a bell. He takes a few steps and stops, a few more steps and stops, trying to minimize the noise, but it puts him at a crawl, traveling so slowly through the house that he might as well stick around and try his luck with battling Sebastian. Twenty minutes of this goes by, and he makes it to the kitchen, his heart pounding in his ears as he tries not to let his nails _click-click-click_ on the floor, but the whole house seems to be made specifically so that he can't hide in it. Little furniture, no carpets on the floor, no plants in pots anywhere around that he can hunker down behind, flatten himself out, and hide his shadow. He reaches the corner, and the sound of wind whooshing fills his ears, overwhelming even the frantic drumming of his beating heart. He smells the fresh clean air; the grass, cut yesterday morning; the sprinkling of dew settling in as the late night turns into early morning and grows colder. He peeks his head around the corner and finally sees it – his escape through the sliding glass door, left open a crack, and the great silver moon shimmering high overhead, calling out to him, telling him to _run_. Run fast and run far, with whatever strength he has left.

_Alright_, the wolf says to the boy, _on the count of three. One…two…_

He doesn't reach three. He rounds the corner at a bolt, his feet tripping underneath him, but he needs to be out, be gone. A new scent has entered, or re-entered, and it spurs him forward, forcing him into this desperate attempt at making a break for it.

But the boy and his wolf feel the man's presence outside, and they know it's already too late.

_Gotcha_, they hear, and through the sliding glass door, an enormous silver wolf stalks in, growling in defense of his territory, and not just the house and the property beyond, but that which he's staring at, chomping at the bit to claim.

Realization comes to the boy's wolf as he catches a complicated scent that was created, very cleverly, to mask this wolf's own. He may have gone for a run, but he wasn't out very long, lingering nearby and waiting for the boy and his wolf to leave.

_You tricked us_, the boy's wolf gasps.

_I knew you'd answer the call of the moon eventually_, the silver wolf says. _It was only a matter of time._

Sebastian's larger wolf growls and pushes forward, backing the boy's smaller wolf towards the wall.

_Well, well, well,_ the man within the beast chuckles as his wolf chuffs at its mate, _hello, Moondancer. Nice to meet you._


	4. Chapter 4

_Out of our way! _the silver-white wolf growls.

_No, _Sebastian's wolf answers. _I cannot let you leave._

The boy's wolf bears his teeth and stomps the ground, showing an example of the might he wishes he had, trying to make it clear that his demand is not a request; it's a warning.

The silver wolf, however, does not budge.

And that's where they stay, both wolves standing in silent confrontation, the smaller wolf holding his ground when the only two things he can think of doing are running from this place or collapsing from exhaustion. As a lone wolf, he would have probably chosen the latter, given himself up to this apex wolf as his mate in exchange for a comfortable life with no more running, no more hiding, and the prospect of love. His boy had been right – this wolf could make him happy. The boy's wolf hears it in the other wolf's thoughts, which he sends below his spoken words, a subliminal thread carried along with his scent of raw desire, of passion, of promise and protection. Staying here in this secluded compound, on its private stretch of land, is definitely preferable to what awaits them outside the stone façade, but this decision isn't only about him. The ways of wolves are different than the ways of humans.

The smaller wolf might be sure of this larger wolf's intentions towards him.

But what of the human's intentions toward his boy?

It's too big a risk to take for the sake of his own happiness. There are bigger issues involved, important things at stake.

The wolf had sworn to protect his boy. It's a vow that he holds dear.

Bathed in a ray of silvery moonlight, the two wolves are rendered momentarily identical in color, a perfect match, until the larger wolf steps forward, and the smaller wolf steps back, his fur slightly whiter in the shadows than that of his pursuer.

_I said, out of our way, wolf!_ the trapped wolf repeats, desperate to get his boy outside to the fresh air. The wolf feels his boy suffering, long weeks of being forced to lie still in the dark, in the heat, in the stench of rot and death, taking its toll. It hasn't only weakened the boy's body, but his mind and his heart.

They would have lasted only a little while longer in that narrow, metal cage. Now, a few feet from freedom, blocked from their escape, the last of the boy's will has started to wither.

"Come now, my handsome mate," Sebastian taunts from inside the mind of his great silver companion, "don't play coy. You're up and about now. Your strength seems to be returning. Maybe we should get started on your training, hmm? Teach you how to obey and be a good little subservient wolf. Right, Moondancer?"

_Stop calling us that!_ the boy's wolf growls, fur bristling like a bottle brush from his neck down his back, his tail twitching and flicking in anger.

_Then give us another name,_ Sebastian's wolf suggests. _For example – my human is called Sebastian, and my name is Cloudwalker._

There's a second of silence, followed by a high-pitched snicker, and even though it's very much at his expense, the large wolf welcomes it.

_Cloudwalker?_ the younger wolf chuckles. _And how in the world did you get stuck with that name?_

_Nu-uh. I gave you information,_ the silver wolf says evenly. _It's your turn._

_I'm not playing your game, wolf. You will get nothing from us!_

_Not from the both of you,_ the wolf reasons. _Just you._

The smaller wolf backs away further, though he has nowhere to go, his rear haunches already pressed against the wall.

_What do you mean, just me? _he asks_. There is no just me. It is both of us, or neither of us._

_Yes – _the silver wolf steps closer, hoping his mate will change his mind about trying to leave before he has to do something rash_ \- but isn't that a bit unreasonable? Your needs and your human's needs differ._

_They do not_, the silver-white wolf lies.

_But they do,_ Cloudwalker growls. _You cannot lie to me. _The wolf inches closer, fully upon the smaller wolf. He runs his muzzle down the smaller wolf's neck and takes a deep sniff. _I can smell it on you. You want me. You know you do, precious. And you should. We are one and the same, you and I. You may be at a different point in life than your human, but not to worry. Your human and mine are compatible as well. _

_You cannot know that. _The smaller wolf shakes his head a growls, making as ferocious a false display as he can, but the strength he had left starts to wane. Much more of this stalling and his pent up energy, mostly fueled by a spike of adrenaline, will have been wasted on this conversation.

The boy's wolf suspects that Cloudwalker knows this, hence this lengthy and unnecessary debate when Cloudwalker could just tackle him to the ground and force him to submit. In his current condition, the silver-white wolf couldn't fend him off if he wanted to.

_I can know that,_ Sebastian's wolf insists. _I do know it,_ _and you do, too._

Cloudwalker's scent becomes overwhelming. The boy's wolf longs to surrender to him, but he fights, whimpering from the effort.

"It's true," the boy whispers to his wolf, struggling with defeat as the words leave his lips. "He's right. You and he are a match. And his human and I" – the boy sighs in his wolf's head – "we can make it work. I'm sure of it."

_It's getting harder and harder for you to resist,_ Cloudwalker presses, nose to nose with his reluctant mate, knowing that the wolf is in contact with the boy. _This silver moon only comes around once every few months, and one this powerful…I don't know if we shall ever see one like it again in our lifetime._

_Don't be so dramatic, _the small wolf hisses, caught between Cloudwalker's words trying to reign victorious in his head, and his boy's words settling sympathetically in his heart_._

_It's the truth, and you know it, _Cloudwalker continues._ Think about what having a mate with a match to your power can do for you. Think of your future. Think of your boy!_

The boy's wolf lashes out. Infuriated by Cloudwalker's gall and his assumptions, the smaller wolf pushes against him, barking wildly and nipping him on the muzzle. But that move backfires. The bite has an opposite effect to the one the smaller wolf had wanted. Instead of backing down, Cloudwalker gasps at the seductive sting of his mate's teeth biting into his skin. He breathes deep his scent. Signals in that scent mix, confusion conquering desire, but the desire is there, and it only gets stronger. A bite and his scent may be all the silver wolf gets, and it will never be enough.

_I am thinking of my boy! _the boy's wolf spits in disgust, knowing that the larger wolf's thoughts have drifted to bonding, mating…and other physical rituals.

_No. No you're not, _the larger wolf says, his thoughts returning._ Because if you were thinking of him, you'd realize that you are in a perfect position to protect him…here, behind our walls. One silver wolf is strong, but a bonded pair – think of how magnanimous we would be together. There isn't a power on all this earth that could touch us, or your human. He would be safe - for the rest of his life, safe. You could be sure of it._

"He's right_,_" the boy says, speaking only to his wolf. "You and I, we need to heal, we need the chance to get stronger…and we both need protecting."

_We've done fine on our own so far, _the wolf argues, wondering why, if he has his human's blessing to stay, is he still arguing?

Probably because he needs to know that his human won't be giving in just to make his wolf happy. That's not the way their relationship is supposed to work. One isn't supposed to give up everything for the other.

"Until we got captured," the boy counters. "The only way we managed to escape was with this wolf and his human's help. Who knows what would have happened to us if they hadn't come along. You saw the others – the ones who died, the ones who were tortured by their own hunger, the ones who chewed their paws off, insane from thirst."

_But…but I know their ways better know. I know their tactics, their traps, their scents. I can keep you safe. I can keep us safe._

"That's too much to put on your shoulders," the boy says. "Besides, they'll be looking for us. And if they got us once, they can get us again. They'll be bettered prepared this time. They'll keep us out of the pens. They'll put us somewhere where no one will ever find us…where Cloudwalker and Sebastian won't ever find us. No. Staying here, becoming this man and this wolf's mate. This is the only way."

The wolf sighs, his resolve thinning, the arguments of the wolf and his boy breaking through. He can withstand one, but not both of them, not when he honestly has nowhere else to run, nowhere else to hide. If they come across the trappers again, he's not one hundred percent certain he'll be able to escape.

_Are you…are you certain? _the wolf asks. _Are you sure you're okay with this?_

"Yes," the boy decides, communicating with his wolf in calm, soothing tones, reassuring him that he's okay with his decision, even though he knows it means they're locked to this city, this house, this man and his wolf, for as long as they live. "Bond with this wolf. Accept his protection. Reciprocate his love, if he gives it. But most of all, please…be happy."

The smaller wolf nods to his boy.

_I will,_ he says.

Shaking, weak on his feet, but with his head appropriately bowed, the wolf walks forward from the wall, approaching the wolf that would have him as his mate.

_Are you going to run?_ Cloudwalker asks. _Because, I must warn you, if you try to escape, I will be forced to restrain you._

_I will not run, _the smaller wolf says_. I will accept your bond, Cloudwalker. I will be your mate and stay here with you._

The silver wolf sighs, exhaling with such tremendous relief that the smaller wolf can't help but feel flattered. _Thank you._

_But believe me when I say, _the smaller wolf adds_, that I have absolutely no intention of mating until my boy is ready. If you or your human try to rush him, then I'll find a way to leave, even though you say it's impossible. Touch him without his permission, and one way or another, I will be gone. Do you understand?_

The silver wolf, impatient though he can be, is a much more sensible beast than his human counterpart in many ways. Sebastian tends to get what he wants through charm, money, and his numerous connections. He might not have taken _no_ for an answer had the boy presented him with the same ultimatum. He might have pressed the young boy to mate, might not have understood the harm in it.

But Sebastian's wolf is willing to wait. As long as he eventually gets what he feels already belongs to him, he can wait.

_I understand,_ Cloudwalker agrees, gritting his teeth. He's willing to wait. That doesn't mean he's pleased with it.

"And what about you, little Moondancer?" Sebastian asks, his mind surfacing to grab hold when he hears the boy talk to his wolf, locking on to that ethereal voice tucked deep in this wolf's mind, hiding from the shadow of reality. "How do you feel about bonding with me, and becoming my mate?"

"You've given us little choice," the boys says, speaking to Sebastian clearly since he's determined it will be the last time for a long while. "You are offering us protection, but you have taken away our freedom. You chose to try and force your affections on us instead of giving us time to want them. We are making the decision that is best for us, but it's the only decision we have. My wolf may be bonding with yours, he may even grow to love him, but for the time being, you are still nothing to me."

Those are the boy's final words. He locks himself away inside the mind of his wolf. And the silver-white wolf, on his way to being bonded, with his human's hesitant blessing, does not return to the form of the boy again.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: ****Okay, I know it's been a while since I've added to this story, but I am doing so now in honor of my lovely friend ForbiddenDusk and the Kurtoberfest prompt 'werewolves'. Also, you may notice a slight switch in writing styles with this chapter, but I feel that since the chapter is entirely devoted to the wolves, and the wolves are a different creature, that they would talk differently. ***Edit - also, I call these creatures werewolves because they glorify moonlight and need it to strengthen them, ground them, etc., but I would say they're a little more like shapeshifters since they can change forms at will.**

After the boy relays his final message, after he disconnects all contact from Sebastian's mind and, in part, the mind of his wolf, Sebastian withdraws to give his wolf time alone with his mate, granting him privacy, but not exclusively for selfless reasons. Sebastian cannot bring himself to watch the two wolves bond. As happy as Sebastian is for his wolf, he feels jaded. After everything he's done, the money he's spent, the hoops he's jumped, the danger he's put himself in, he won't be receiving the same treatment as his wolf. No beautiful young creature will join him in his bed tonight, bending over backward to express his gratitude. The boy has made his choice. For now, Sebastian is _nothing_ to him.

The kick in the gonads is that it's Sebastian's fault and his fault _alone_ that the boy feels that way.

And Sebastian, even as he slithers to his dark corner to meditate and reflect, realizes that he's behaving like a douche expecting some show of gratitude. But as he can't indulge in any sort of physical vice, can't drown his bitterness in a bottle of Jack or bury his cock in the body of a nameless lover (and no, there will be no more nameless lovers for Sebastian for as long as he lives), he chooses to sulk like a brooding teenager, and be insulting, as long as no one but his wolf can hear.

Cloudwalker, in contrast, cannot deny his own happiness. He's ecstatic that after all this time he finally has a mate, a wolf that he can call his own – soft fur to nuzzle into, eyes to stare at, a body to sleep beside, flesh to sink his teeth into…someone who will claim him, someone that he can claim. No more cold comfort lays by his human to numb the urge, though, it never worked for Cloudwalker. Since they couldn't risk revealing Sebastian's wolf to anyone, Sebastian made certain to search out only non-werewolf sex partners. So Cloudwalker had been left frustrated and wanting for far too long.

But Cloudwalker didn't want _one night_. He wanted forever or nothing at all.

By rights, it was _his_ turn.

But Cloudwalker's heart breaks for Sebastian. Sebastian may have made his own bed, but for all of his faults, Cloudwalker does not feel that he should have to sleep in it alone. Sebastian, as Cloudwalker knows him, is not all that he seems. He may be rude and crass at times, rough around the edges and all the other "bad boy" clichés, but he, like so many other conceited men with money and power, has a past - a long and complicated past. Cloudwalker does not doubt that his mate and his mate's boy have a painful past as well, and maybe that is where the two humans can connect - their bridge across. He only hopes that, in time, Kurt will give Sebastian the opportunity to share his story, see why Sebastian is the way he is. Maybe, through that, they can bond, help one another.

They can heal each other.

But that won't happen tonight. The boy has made himself clear, and Cloudwalker cannot intervene. He cannot try to convince the boy himself, nor ask his wolf to talk him into returning. It would not be right. Cloudwalker is an older male, and an alpha. It might be seen as coercing his mate and going back on his promise.

His _mate_.

Cloudwalker has his mate to consider. The smaller, silver-white wolf is weak. He is thin. He requires medicine eventually, but for now, he needs food, water, and the power of the silver moon to fortify him.

_Stay put_, Cloudwalker commands, and trots into the kitchen. The silver-white wolf hears rustling, the click and slam of cabinets, and then glass bottles clinking together with the opening of a door. No more than a minute later, the large wolf returns with a cold, cooked chicken from the fridge clamped gently in his jaws. Cloudwalker puts it on the floor between the smaller wolf's paws and quickly retreats, leaving his mate alone with his meal. The silver-white wolf sniffs warily, waiting for word from his boy that it's okay to eat this food, to partake of this wolf's (and his human's) hospitality.

But his boy remains silent.

The wolf is hungry, which means the boy must be famished, and above all things, the wolf must take care of his boy. The chicken on the floor in front of him, inches below his nose, smells delicious. It's been so long since they've seen such a feast.

It would be a shame to let it spoil…

The wolf eats what Cloudwalker offers, knowing full well that by letting Cloudwalker nurse him back to health, they're starting the bonding process. He might as well start it here. No use waiting. He promised Cloudwalker he would accept him as his mate, and if he expects Cloudwalker to be trustworthy, then the wolf will have to show good faith.

And the silver-white wolf wants him. Cloudwalker wasn't wrong about that. It was embarrassing that Cloudwalker could sniff that out, but the smaller wolf couldn't hide it. He couldn't concentrate in that position, wedged into a corner by self-preservation and fear, but so close to Cloudwalker's body, he could feel the blood coursing through the larger wolf's veins.

The silver-white wolf starts in on his meal slowly, delicately, but by the time Cloudwalker returns, pushing a dish of water across the smooth floor with his nose, the silver-white wolf is tearing the picked clean carcass bone from bone with a growl in his throat. Cloudwalker stands back and stares at his ferocious mate in amazement until the silver-white wolf feels himself being watched. Then he drops what's left of the bird and backs away.

_That's quite an amazing display. _Cloudwalker laughs._ I know now never to turn my back on you, little one._

The silver-white wolf is tempted to smile at his mate's teasing, but he keeps his smile to himself. _You have nothing to fear from me, wolf, _he says, sad when his boy doesn't chime in to his thoughts_. I belong to you now. I will not harm you. And I will not try to run away._

_But…you do not want this? _Cloudwalker asks, certain of his wolf's answer. _Even with the protection we can provide, the life we can give you and your boy, you are not happy._

_I feel… _the wolf starts, at odds with his feelings since, for the moment, they are his feelings alone, without the benefit of his boy's advice. It's only been a few minutes since his boy has gone silent, but they have never been disconnected from one another this way before. Not completely. The boy has cut himself off so thoroughly, the silver-white wolf almost cannot detect the boy there…and it frightens him_. I feel that I have not being given adequate time to decide. I may be happier if I felt I had a choice, if I didn't feel that my life depended on our staying with you. _The smaller wolf raises a scathing brow. _If I didn't have my back against a wall…literally._

_I am sorry, _Cloudwalker says with honest regret_. I truly am. _

_It's easy for you to say you're sorry, _the silver-white wolf sniffs_. You won. You and your human got your prize. And even had we not surrendered willingly, you have, as your human put it, a bill of sale. You could have us muzzled, caged, sedated, microchipped. As it is, we cannot leave your compound. It is not only that you have won, you have thoroughly abolished any hope of retaliation from us. It is easy to show compassion when you possess all the options… _The silver-white wolf looks at his reflection in the still dish of water and sighs. _When the die falls in your favor._

Cloudwalker approaches his mate, head bowed in shame. _Perhaps, _he says_. But taking your options away was the only way we had of ensuring your safety. Had you and your boy been less strong, less capable, less cunning and clever, we wouldn't have had to go so far. But you left us no choice. _

The smaller wolf ducks his head, blushing beneath his fur. He hates that those words flatter him, but they do. They make his heart and his stomach flutter. They make him feel warm and welcome and…what did Cloudwalker call him before? Precious? He hates that reaction, but most of all, he hates that his boy can't enjoy it, too.

_There's always a choice_, Moondancer says, and laps at the dish of water. But even as it replenishes his body, he feels unfilled. He's sated, he feels stronger, but chicken and water aren't what his body craves.

But he won't give in. He promised his boy. Not until he's ready.

_So, are you ready?_

The small wolf's head jerks up. _Ready?_ he asks, his innate tendency to mistrust putting him on alert, making him afraid that Cloudwalker will go back on his word and claim him regardless now that he has strength enough to put up a fight. _R-ready for what?_

_For the tour of your new home. _Cloudwalker gestures with his head towards the door – the door the silver-white wolf and his boy thought for sure would lead to freedom, the small wolf thinks with a sour taste in his mouth. It fills the silver-white wolf with an urge to rebel, to tell Cloudwalker that this will _never_ be his home, but there would be no use. Cloudwalker could too easily overwhelm him.

The silver-white wolf and his boy will not be leaving this compound of their own free will ever.

_Yes_. The wolf gives in. _Yes, I would like to see it._

Cloudwalker leads his new mate outdoors to walk beneath the silver moon that's been calling to them, beckoning to have her children stroll the world underneath her light. She shines with an unmatched radiance when they appear, as if she has been waiting for the two of them to make her complete. Both wolves can feel her beneath their flesh and fur, and she brings with her a peace that recharges them, body and soul.

It's a strange new world for the silver-white wolf, these massive grounds behind stone walls. Once they leave the house, they enter a meadow covered in grass and trees, like a segment of the forest had been carved out and transported here. Other animals roam the grounds – pheasants, rabbits, and mule deer from what the silver-white wolf can sense, for Cloudwalker to hunt, he assumes – as well as other touches of nature here and there. A waterfall. A river, with fish swimming to and from a man-made lake. A sandy shore. A rocky hillside. The ideal environment for a wolf to run and hunt and play, to satisfy his instincts in complete safety. One thing is for sure, this place belongs to Cloudwalker and his human. Every inch of it is scented – the trees, the rocks, the shore. It's exhilarating…and it's frightening.

How long, the silver-white wolf wonders, before Cloudwalker marks him, too?

If there is one element in abundance here, however, it's silence. Aside from the chirping birds and the flowing river, the compound is quiet. Eerily quiet. Life is attenuated here. What should teem with the beat of a thousand hearts is barely moved by a hundred. There is no breeze here. No messages carried from afar. No sound of other wolves outside in the world. Living here, it would be easy to believe that he and Cloudwalker are the last two.

Because this compound is not the forest. It's not the real world. It's a preserve.

It's a prison, Sebastian's prison, one of his own design, and as much as the silver-white wolf hates prisons and cages, he understands why. In a world that barely tolerates their kind, the safest place to live is behind stone walls and iron bars.

It's not meant to keep the wolves in, but everyone else out.

Cloudwalker trots silently beside his mate until they've circled the grounds once, watching the silver-white wolf with interest as he takes in his new surroundings…and lust. It's simple biology; Cloudwalker can't help himself. But since mating beneath the moon is not a possibility this evening, he decides that talking is best…if he can get the smaller wolf to do it. Cloudwalker can recognize that this mate, who he's longed for through the passing of far too many silver moons, is a gift he's been given, and by one who had a lot to risk by the sacrifice, his entire life forfeited. Cloudwalker hopes that someday his human might recognize that, too. But Cloudwalker refuses to take that gift for granted. He needs to discover all there is to know about his mate, and find out how he can ensure his constant happiness.

_What may I call you?_ Cloudwalker asks as they begin their second circuit.

The smaller wolf stops walking. He tilts his head, giving his mate's question time to sink in. He deliberates between who he was only a few days ago, when he and his boy were stuck in the pens, and who he is now. He has been two different wolves in that span of time. He needs a name that distinguishes him so.

_You may call me Moondancer,_ the smaller wolf replies with resignation.

_Would you not prefer your true name? _Cloudwalker asks_. The name you were given at birth?_

_Our new life starts here, _Moondancer says with finality_. We left our old life behind when we agreed to be yours. This new name you have given us…suits us._

Cloudwalker nods, both content with and burdened by that answer, but issues bigger than that of a name trouble the silver wolf. As they begin to walk again, he says, _You and your boy are free to roam wherever you wish inside our walls. The house and the grounds, they are as much yours as they are ours._

Moondancer doesn't remark out loud, but inside his heart, he hopes that his boy _will_ come to enjoy all of this. He pictures his boy running through the grass in the early mornings the way he used to jog in the neighborhood surrounding his father's house. He hopes to see his boy swimming in the lake and hunting down the deer. He wishes to wake in the mind of his boy as he sits on a rock, sketching the trees and the hills and the sky.

And dance. His boy loves to dance. How nice would it be to see his boy dance again? It's been too long.

Cloudwalker sees all of this, too, every image of the boy in Moondancer's thoughts, but he says nothing. And he doesn't let Sebastian see, doesn't clue him in. He feels like it would be a betrayal of Moondancer's trust. If Sebastian is to know all there is to know about this boy, he will need to get off his sorry ass and do it for himself.

Except…maybe there is one thing he can give him.

_Thank you_, Moondancer says as he banishes those thoughts of his boy from his mind, _for everything you are giving us._

_And…what of my human?_ Cloudwalker asks cautiously. He wasn't going to bring Sebastian up, but at this point in time, he feels he must.

_What of him?_ Moondancer sneers, not entirely thrilled with his boy's "mate".

_He is without a mate for the time being, _Cloudwalker explains, _and yet he has agreed to comply with your wishes. May he, at least, have a name?_

Moondancer turns up his nose. _I'm not sure that my- _

Moondancer stops and tilts his head again, his ears perking up as if he's listening to something that his mate cannot hear. Cloudwalker tries, but the only sound he _can_ hear is akin to the tinkling of a bell. Cloudwalker isn't even convinced that Moondancer is hearing anything; more like he's feeling it, his boy's response inside his body, non-verbal. And it brings a tear to the wolf's eye. He nods to himself, then meets Cloudwalker's questioning gaze.

_Kurt_, Moondancer says, shaking his head and banishing more tears away. _His name is Kurt._

_Kurt_, Cloudwalker repeats, looking at his mate with a solemn expression. _You love him._

Moondancer doesn't look up. He has no more energy left to feel offended by Cloudwalker's questions._ Do you not love your human?_

_I do, _Cloudwalker admits,_ only…I don't think it's the same._

Moondancer thinks over the evening, the way Sebastian has treated them in contrast to how his wolf has treated them, the way he has heard the two talk to each other. _No, _Moondancer decides_. I don't think it is._

On their third walk of the grounds, as Cloudwalker considers asking his mate if he would like to stretch his legs and go for a run, Moondancer's knees wobble. He stumbles over his paws, almost sending him to the ground.

_Moondancer, _Cloudwalker says, prepared to catch his wolf if he falls,_ I think you've had enough excitement for tonight._

_Yes – _Moondancer yawns_ \- I think I'm inclined to agree._

_You may choose where you wish to sleep. _Cloudwalker nudges the smaller wolf with his shoulder to keep him upright until he decides_. On nights like this, I prefer to sleep outside under the moon, but there is a bed inside if you wish. I can carry you there. And if you'd like, you can lock yourself inside so that your boy can feel free to return…if he likes…_

Moondancer's breath catches at the mention of his boy. No, it wouldn't matter if they were locked away. He knows his boy will not return. But he can't fault Cloudwalker for the behavior of his human. Humans and their wolf companions are separate entities occupying the same body – two different minds and two different souls. Maybe Cloudwalker should have spoken up, but in reality, there was nothing he could have done. He had his own motives, besides. Motives that Moondancer could hold against him…if he didn't need him so badly.

He can't imagine retreating to the bed inside and spending the night alone.

_I think, I'll sleep out here with you, _Moondancer says, cuddling up against the silver wolf still positioned by his shoulder,_ if you don't mind._

_I…are you certain? _Sleeping beside his reluctant mate is more than he could have hoped for, but he doesn't want Moondancer to regret that choice later.

_You are my mate now, correct? _Moondancer takes to the ground when his legs won't hold him up any longer._ I should get used to sleeping beside you. _Moondancer sighs. It's not an altogether satisfied sound. _It's where I belong._

_I don't want you to feel obligated. _Cloudwalker watches with an irrepressible longing as his mate curls into a ball, preparing for sleep._ I don't want to take any more choices away from you._

Moondancer looks up at Cloudwalker with half-lidded, drowsy eyes. He tries to smile, but he can't. Not yet. _I choose to sleep out here with you, Cloudwalker. Is that alright?_

Cloudwalker holds his breath. His name. His mate said his name, and not with a scowl, not in disgust or anger, but in a whisper, soothing and kind. Cloudwalker's fur bristles with delight. _Of course, _he says, lying down in the grass beside the silver-white wolf, leaving a respectable few inches between them. When Moondancer closes that gap, Cloudwalker's entire body begins to hum.

_Goodnight, Cloudwalker,_ Moondancer says, clearing his mind for sleep. He's not looking forward to what waits for him in the dark, what his dreams will hold, so he doesn't plan on having any. _And thank you…for everything._

_You're welcome, little Moondancer,_ Cloudwalker whispers. Moondancer tucks his muzzle beneath the larger wolf's cheek, and immediately, the silver-white wolf falls asleep.


End file.
